For those who like H!P ^_^, plus a learning experience!

Finally, Tsunku actually announced a new group that wasn’t going to last one single or be a part of UFA’s whimsical Asia ideas. Initially the announcement was made with these four girls but they didn’t have a name really. 3/4 of the group was already busy with Shugo Chara Egg! so when this news happened Nyon, Ayacho, and Yuukarin had to leave the group. Of course they started with 4 indies singles and during that time, Tsunku had given them a requirement if they were to have a major debut and it was to have 10,000 pictures of people smiling (because the group’s name was as such). Luckily, they met the mark and finally were able to graduate from H!P Egg and have their major debut, Yumemiru 15sai. They would go on to have 5 more singles and an album before Tsunku dropped a bomb on them! Two years later after their formation, he would announce that there would be a 2nd audition for the 2nd generation of S/mileage.

The auditions went on and we ended up with quite a number of finalists (actually I think all but two became H!P members in some fashion) and everyone was shocked that there were 5 winners! Three of them (Meimi, Fuyuka, and Kana) were new and the other two were H!P Eggs (Akari and Rina). Though there was a different reason as Tsunku announced they were just sub-members to the other four and were still being tested. However this 9-nin lineup lasted VERY short because a week later original member, Saki Ogawa, announced she was suddenly graduating to go back to a regular life. Though a lot of wota and fans alike believe that I think she (and Yuuka) weren’t too onboard with new members at all….plus Ayacho has gone off to say that she’d quit if more was added to the current lineup.

Then another setback happened when Fuyuka Kosuga two weeks after Sakitty’s sudden graduation also had to leave because she became ill and was announced that she had severe anemia, but was allowed back into the Eggs when she felt better. Though unlike Sakitty, Fuu-chan was involved with S/mileage’s first single as an 8-nin, “Tachiagirl” and was going to be in Mobekimasu’s “Busu ni Naranai Tetsugaku” but unfortunately was canned when she left.

Thought we were done with changes? Nope! Well, it first started as the sub-members were FINALLY announced as the new 2nd generation and everyone was happy and letting go of their held breaths until Yuuka Maeda announced that she was graduating at the end of 2011 to focus on school. She of course ended her idol career in S/mileage with the single, “Please Miniskirt Postwoman!”.

Even since the turbulent year 2011 had brought, the group slowly recovered and were at that of these 6 members when 2012 started. They’ve been the most stable lineup well at least so far. It seems since then they’ve been strengthing their vocals and teamwork and really has started to feel like a stronger group because of it. HOWEVER, it wasn’t the last change to happen!

In 2014, the remaining, original two members, Ayaka and Kanon had decided that to preserve the group for the future, they had to find new members which they decided would be upon the Kenshuusei and a week later they chose Maho Aikawa, Rikako Sasaki, and Mizuki Murota to take up the positions! To top that off, the group also changed their name (a rather startling and unexpected one at that) to ANGERME (courtesy of Kana) and have started performing as a 9-nin.

Unfortunately, only two singles later, it was announced NOT ONLY that Kanon would be graduating near the end of the year, there’s a 4th audition going to be held!

From then we had the 9 members for an AMAZINGLY short time before an announcement was made from Meimi Tamura who wanted to pursure theater and so decided to graduate mid-2016. At least we had one single to celebrate Meimi’s leaving and Moe’s first appearance!

Shortly after Meimi’s graduation (technically a couple months) we start on with the Summer concerts and we get a surprise reveal of ANOTHER member joining the group with a rather interesting Kenshuusei choice in Momona Kasahara. Of course it wouldn’t be too long for some more things to happen

In 2017 quite a number of things happened with the group starting with the unfortunate hiatus (and eventual leave) for Maho Aikawa. Though things seem to change further during the summer! Ayano Kawamura was one of the three Kenshuusei to debut and she landed a gig in the group and then we also had the semi-hiatus of Country Girls and Musubu Funaki was moved to ANGERME.

Through the year of 2018 though the group was quite filled with some interesting news starting from Ayaka Wada‘s graduation from the group in mid-2019 to the addition of two new members at the tailend of the year with Haruka Oota (who was at the time a Hokkaido Kenshuusei) and a audition winner from the ONLY YOU auditions, Reira Ise. It all culminated in 2019 with the debut and a graduation single and a third studio album!

With Ayacho graduated, I wasn’t expecting the group to quickly add another member as if to kind of replace her with Rin Hashisako joining the group, but this lineup won’t be lasting very long with Rina Katsuta graduating in September of 2019 and Kana Nakanishi graduating in December and then Mizuki Murota in March.

Style of Music: The original 4 members were really young when they started this group so the music reflected a lot of their youthfulness by being cute and silly and wild.

After the mess that 2011 brought the group started to mature in their music and style and since they were older, getting into more dance-heavy songs with the rest of H!P but retaining their youthful style.

With ANGERME, the sound hasn’t exactly changed much for them, but it’s more of the name change really, so there’s no need to worry!

This is the group’s first single, aMa no Jaku…Don’t they look so damn young and humble about being together as a group? (despite the fact Ayaka, Yuuka, and Kanon had been working together in SCE!)

This would be Tachiagirl, the first single without Saki and the first with the whole sub-member system (in which this was the only single involving it). It’s weird to see that only Kanon, Yuuka, and Ayaka getting the lines only while the other FIVE members were just background fodder (and with lil shouting chants).

Finally, this is their most recent release as of this post, Mystery Night! Doesn’t it surprise you they’ve matured this quickly? Though I’m loving the synergy in the group though!

This is Taikibansei, ANGERME’s first single! I have to say that I’m very impressed by the new members as they bring in a fresh and exciting look to the group (not saying the elder 6 weren’t but hey).

Top 10 Favorite Songs

Atarashii Watashi ni Nare!

Mystery Night!

Yumemiru 15sai

Shin Nippon no Susume! (album song from “② Smile Sensation”)

○○Ganbaranakutemo Eenende!!

Samui ne.

Jitensha Chiririn (B-side from “Uchouten LOVE”)

Hatsukoi no Anata e (B-side from “Koi ni Booing Buu!”

Asu wa Date na no ni, Ima Sugu Koe ga Kikitai

Smile Bijin (B-side from “○○Ganbaranakutemo Eenende!!”)

Overall: I will honestly admit when S/mileage was announced and they started in with their indies singles, I wasn’t interested at all because I didn’t know who was who and was more turned off by the squeaky vocals by all the members (mostly Yuuka and Ayaka). I did change my tune a little bit when Yumemiru 15sai came out and followed a while longer til I kind of fell out of them around the time Short Cut came out. The 4-nin S/mileage while being a real great group to grow together, I felt a bit polarized because their sound was here and there for me and the voices were killing me back then (idol voices were hard for me to get into…it’s easier today though) and I even called ○○Ganbaranakutemo Eenende!! THE WORST SONG from them…and now it’s one of my favorites (funny how that works huh…TSUNKU’S CURSE!).

When the auditions came around I was quite excited (since this was the 2nd audition I was around for, the first being Momusu’s 9th Gens) and was pleasantly surprised by all the finalists (most did become H!P members down the road). I remember being shocked that S/mileage went from 4 members to 9 members like that, but that was overshadowed by Sakitty’s sudden departure (and on a lesser scale, Fuu-chans). Though when Yuukarin announced her graduation, I was worried that the other two original members would jump ship to but the 6 of them today are so strong and they bring a lot to the table that I personally thought the original 4-nin couldn’t do so it gave them a more well-rounded balance.

Though I wasn’t expecting a 3rd Generation two years later and an identity shift with the group moving away from S/mileage to ANGERME. Murotan and Rikako have been fan favorites so seeing them debut here is a breath of air for many people that wanted them to debut. Maho is a bit of a wild card but she seems cute enough to keep up with the group so all-in-all, impressive!

Then with Kanon and Meimi gone and Moe and Momona joining the group, it’s really interesting how ANGERME is going to stick with 9 members, but it makes for nice things!

Though in 2017-19 its just been wild with 5 new members joining and seeing Maho & Ayaka gone. It feels like the group is just huge with a LOT of personality!